The 8 best Android app ideas from 2015

2016 is shaping up to be a promising year for new Android apps, but some of the Android app ideas we’re most excited about here at Snyxius are ones you may have missed from last year. Let’s take a look at eight apps that shook up their respective categories in 2015.

#1—Best Security App

Stagefright Detector

(Free)

A vulnerability called “Stagefright” was discovered on Android devices in August 2015. Stagefright allowed hackers to send malware to victims’ Android devices through MMS messages. It was first discovered by Joshua Drake of Zimperium zLabs. Zimperium created a Detector app called “Stagefright Detector” that determines whether your device’s OS is vulnerable to Stagefright.

The app alerts you to these three things:

Whether your device is vulnerable or not.

Which CVEs your device is vulnerable to.

Whether your device’s OS should be updated.

#2—Best Social and Communication App

Yahoo Livetext

(Free)

Though there are plenty of video and chat apps on the Google Play Store, the good folks at Yahoo! released a video chat app in 2015 with a surprising feature. Yahoo Livetext is an audio-free video messaging app launched in July 2015. It lets you video chat with your friends and family without actually speaking!

Livetext finally solves the problem of being not being able to video chat with someone while you’re in a classroom, boardroom, or meeting. Although this app is not everyone’s cup of tea, it is uniquely innovative.

#3—Best Email App

Inbox by Google

(Free)

With the introduction of Inbox by Google on Android, the revolution has begun. Google’s goal of reinventing email by creating an intelligent email sorting system has finally hit the bull’s eye.

Google Inbox bundles similar emails for you, pins important ones at the top of your inbox list, lets you snooze messages so you can be reminded of them later, creates reminders for you, and lets you preview the highlights of an email without even opening it. It also comes with a sweep feature that lets you send unimportant emails or bundles to the done folder.

Inbox isn’t a replacement to Gmail, but an enhancement to it. It works with your existing Gmail account and comes in web and mobile versions.

#4—Best Organizer App

Snowball

(Free)

The “Google Inbox” of Android phone notifications, Snowball, by mobile developer Squanda, allows you to manage all of the messages and incoming notifications on your phone in one place.

You can customize Snowball so you see the things you want to see and not the ones you don’t. Customizing notifications is easy: swipe right to prioritize an app’s notifications and swipe left to hide them. Over time, Snowball will learn what you want to see. You can even have access to hidden notifications. The app also pulls SMSes and other messages into one place and allows you to reply to all your messages from within Snowball. This feature also works for YouTube videos and web links.

#5—Best Battery Optimizer

Greenify

(Free)

We all want to get the most of our phone’s battery. Sure, new handsets with the latest Android versions like Marshmallow come with battery-saving tools and power-saving modes, but they may not help your sinking battery.

Greenify, introduced in 2015, optimizes your Android phone’s battery to the max. The app, offered by Oasis Feng, runs in the background and regulates how much energy various apps can use. You can customize which apps Greenify stops when not in use. It then freezes those apps when they aren’t in use and unfreezes them when you need an access to them again. And Greenify doesn’t require root access to your Android device, meaning it’s perfect for those of us looking to save our batteries.

#6—Best Cloud App

Unclouded

(Free)

With so many cloud storage devices available to us, we sometimes forget whether we put a certain file on Dropbox, Google Drive, or somewhere else.

Unclouded, an Android app by Christian Göllner, changes that. You can now view and manage all of your cloud-based files in one place. Along with providing an overview of your files, Unclouded can find duplicates, recently updated files, and show you which files are taking up the most space.

Unclouded can also help find the largest files and folders, grouping them by category and time. And the best thing about Unclouded is that it also works offline.

#7—Best Gaming App

Rayman Adventures

(Free)

Rayman Adventures is one of the finest-looking platform games available on Android. A part of Ubisoft Entertainment’s Rayman series, Rayman Adventures launched near the end of 2015.

The side-scrolling, auto-runner platform game debuted on the Playstation. The Android version grants you tons of control, like the ability to change your running direction at will, just like its console counterpart. This cartoon-like animation game is expertly designed and thoroughly enjoyable.

#8—Best Fitness App

Calorie Counter — MyFitnessPal

(Free)

Updated on the last day of 2015, Calorie Counter by MyFitnessPal has yet again proved to be the best app in its niche; it is simply the best fitness app on the Android platform.

Calorie Counter’s database, which contains over four million food items, allows you to easily find the food you eat so you can keep an eye on your calories. Logging your calorie intake has never been easier.

Though the app comes free (with in-app purchases), you also get the pro version for $0.99.